Bench More With Caffeine

We have long known that caffeine can give you a workout boost, but can it actually make you stronger? If a study published in the January 2011 issue of the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has anything to say about it, yes! On two lab visits, 13 moderately trained male subjects performed bench-press repetitions to failure at 60 percent of their one-rep max. On one visit, they ingested caffeine, and on the other, they took a placebo. Researchers found that subjects completed significantly more reps and lifted significantly greater weight when using caffeine. They also had higher “mood state scores” for “vigor” and lower scores for “fatigue.” Wow, is there anything caffeine can’t do? If it could only make us an omelet in the morning, we’d wanna get hitched!

Caffeine has been shown to be much more than a fat burner. Research now suggests it can boost your energy, intensity, fat loss, pain threshold, workout recovery and even your health. Here’s the latest word on this superstar.